The developments of the past few days are of immense consequence to the future of our democracy, and the voices from Jammu and Kashmir need to be heard the loudest, not silenced en masse.
Access to the internet is a human right. Massive economic, social and individual harm caused when it is disrupted. But the human costs are much deeper. Cutting off Internet access prevents people from using the Internet to reach out for help, and makes them panic. They cannot make sure their loved ones are safe, or practice their right to expression and political participation - the government cannot unreasonably deny anyone in this country this right. We believe that internet based communications play a vital role in promoting greater trust between people and their government.
Arguments on security and public safety which are often made have resulted in a situation where India has the highest number of internet shutdowns globally. Most of these happen in Jammu and Kashmir. As per SFLCβs internet shutdown tracker this is the 51st time (atleast) this year that Kashmir has faced an internet shutdown and it wonβt be the last until there is a serious reform on shutdown laws.
We have through our work consistently over months highlighted how it results in harm to different parts of India. From Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra. But tonight, we are concerned about Jammu and Kashmir. People there who are suffering from anxiety and bewilderment due to a deprivation of internet and mobile communication services. We are concerned for their safety, physical and mental care.
The last few days has underscored the need for legal reform given that as per our understanding the existing law under which orders for internet disruptions are passed undermine our fundamental rights. IFF urges the government to stop these arbitrary shutdowns that lack any sort of structure or oversight.
Jammu and Kashmir and all of India deserves better. These are our constitutional promises which must be fulfilled.
Apar Gupta, Executive Director
Save the date when Ladakh and Jammu finally get freedom after years of tyranny under mullah and mufti rule.
Welcome to India Ladakh!
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Tl;dr
IFF wrote to the Jammu and Kashmir Government and Ministry of Home Affairs seeking restoration of 4G internet services in Kashmir during the COVID 19 crisis. The region is already struggling to recover from the six month long shutdown imposed on 5 August 2019 and several of its key healthcare indicators are below the national average. Therefore, immediate restoration of 4G internet services in the region is necessary to prevent spread of the virus through telemedicine and effective public outreach.
Free and Open Internet for All
(Screenshot of ToI's tweet before it was deleted)
Yesterday, the Times of India tweeted that 4G internet services had been restored in Jammu and Kashmir but it subsequently deleted the tweet and published another article about this information being false. This led to considerable confusion and it once again brought into sharp focus the continued deprivation of rights suffered by the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
While the rest of India transitions to work from home and relies on the internet to seek latest COVID 19 information and stay in touch with loved ones, the internet is still being slowed down to 2G speed in Jammu and Kashmir. Β Jammu and Kashmir already has 7 confirmed COVID 19 cases. With these figures expected to rise exponentially in the next few weeks, the Government must make all tools including high speed internet available to doctors and patients to save lives.
Dashboards and Chatbots for All
While responding to the COVID 19 crisis, the Indian Government has embraced technology to disseminate accurate and updated information to panic struck citizens. Take for instance, the Ministry of Healthβs COVID 19 dashboard which provides latest state-wise figures and guidelines for different stakeholders. The Ministry of Health and MyGovIndia have also collaborated with WhatsApp to launch a chat box which will address queries of concerned citizens through text, infographics and video. Even private players like Apollo Hospitals have developed tech tools which allow people to assess
... keep reading on reddit β‘
Hello everyone, recently, I found about this forum where I get the freedom to meta. I was recently in R/India and I had put 2 posts. One was a video that was calling out BBC for its shallow reporting on India and it's affairs and the other was a text that I had written on how BBC was running their agenda and spreading fake news on Jammu and Kashmir.
After that, I met with some very rude members in the comments and I eventually got banned. The moderator too was rude and abused me and said that "I should take my shit propaganda elsewhere".
It really fired me up and I sent back to back messages to them and called out on them and told them that I rather not be a part of such a ridiculous forum filled with left wing liberals. Such a ridiculous forum that.
